1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device, an electronic apparatus and a projector.
2. Related Art
In a liquid crystal device such as a liquid crystal television set or a liquid crystal projector, improvement of image quality of a still image or a moving image is required. In order to improve the image quality of the moving image, a response speed of the liquid crystal device should be increased. Recently, an optical compensated bend (OCB) mode liquid crystal device having a high response speed has been attracting much attention.
In the OCB mode liquid crystal device, alignment of liquid crystal molecules varies between an initial state and a display operation state. In the initial state, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is adjusted such that the molecules are aligned in a spray shape between two substrates (spray alignment). In the display operation state, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is adjusted such that the molecules are aligned in a bend shape between the two substrates (bend alignment).
When image display or optical modulation is performed in the OCB mode liquid crystal device, a drive voltage is applied in a bend alignment state. In the bend alignment state, since a time period from a time point when the voltage is applied to a time point when the alignment of liquid crystal molecules is switched is shorter than that of a TN mode or STN mode liquid crystal device, light transmissivity of a liquid crystal layer can be changed in a short time and thus a high-speed response is possible.
In the OCB mode liquid crystal device, when the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is changed from the spray alignment to the bend alignment, a voltage larger than or equal to a threshold voltage needs to be applied to the liquid crystal layer (initial transition operation). If the initial transition operation is insufficient, the change from the spray alignment to the bend alignment is insufficient. Thus, a display failure occurs or the response speed is decreased. Accordingly, a configuration for generating a bend transition nucleus in order to facilitate the initial transition has been disclosed (see, for example, JP-A-11-7018).
The configuration for generating the bend transition nucleus in order to facilitate the initial transition is efficient. More particularly, a configuration for generating a bend transition nucleus to easily bend-align liquid crystal molecules is required.